Flushing tool



ducing air under Patented Oct. 12, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 FLUSHING TOOL Frank L. Bartos, Little Falls, Minn. Application April 30, 1953, Serial No. 352,207

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a flushing tool and, more particularly, ,to a device for assisting in the complete removal of sediment in the flushing and cleaning of the water chambers within an internal combustion engine.

It has long been recognized that internal combustion engines having a water cooling system are subject to corrosion and rusting and, after a certain period of time, foreign material such as scales and other sediment will form and collect in the water jacket. If such foreign material is allowed to accumulate, it will decrease the efficiency of heat transfer from the engine to the cooling fluid because of the insulating efiect produced by the layer of sediment. Furthermore, the scales and particles will jar loose occasionally and will travel through the circulating system, often becoming lodged in the narrow tubular structure of the radiator. The effi ciency of the radiator will obviously become impaired as soon as some of the tubes are shut 01f by lodged material.

In order to assist in removing scales and sediment from the water jackets of automobiles, it is common practice to back-flush the system, that is, run water through the jackets of the blockand head in a direction reverse to that of the normal pumping flow. The flushing water will carry out a good portion of the sedimentary material, but cannot remove the heavier scales which are accumulated in pockets and corners within the jacket. It has been proposed to increase the violence of the flushing action by alternating water flow with compressed air and steam to loosen and stir up the particles of sediment and scale within the jacket. It has also been attempted to clean out the jacket by intropressure along with the flushing water. Unfortunately, all these prior art 'expedients do not accomplish the results desired since the protected spaces in the engine jacket still can retain the material out of reach of the main current of flushing water as it passes through the chambers.

My invention contemplates a symmetrical agitation of the scales and sediment directly in the jacketed areas while back-flushing with water through the entire engine cooling system. Once the settled material has been caught in the main stream of the flushing water, very little of such material can again escape being carried out of the system with the flushing water.

It is a general object of the invention to provide for a novel flushing tool which may be conveniently positioned within the water jacket of an automobile so as to stir up pocketed sediment and scale for removal by the ordinary backflushing procedure.

.It is another object of the invention to provide for a tool of the class described in which the tool is used as a temporary replacement for one of the head bolts in the engine, the tool providing a passageway for introducing agitating fluid into difiicultly accessible water jacket.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for a revolvable tool which has directional ports or orifices associated therewith for introducing fluid under pressure to agitate scales and sediment in a water jacket, and visible indicia on the external portion of the tool so that an operator can determine the positioning of the ports or orifices to get proper agitation of the scales and sediment even though he cannot see the direct results of the agitation.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide for a simple and efficient flushing tool which has novel connection and cooperation with selected head bolt openings in certain conventional automobile engines whereby directional agitation of diiiicultly removable foreign material can be easily accomplished.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a conventional type of automobile engine having head bolt openings through the head and block and communicating from outside the engine to the inside of the water cooling jacket. The section is taken through a head bolt opening with my device shown in full line disposed operatively therein. Unessential parts are omitted or broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the flushing tool, certain parts being shown in full line;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the flushing tool shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the lower end of the flushing tool taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Fig. 1, the letter E denotes a conventional internal combustion engine having an internal water cooling system through a jacket portion indicated generally as J. The conventional engine, represented by E, comprises in turn a head places within the 1 l and a block II, the head and block being secured together in water-tight relation by head bolts I2. The head bolts I2 are engaged with threaded openings I3 formed in the top of block II, the openings extending inwardly to communicate with the internal water jacket J. I am concerned only with internal combustion engines, the water jackets of which are thus in communication with the outside atmosphere through head bolt openings as just described. The head I0 usually has a number of head bolt openings and head bolts secured therewithin so as to effect a tight seal through gasket member I4 with the block H. Because of the large number of head bolt openings extending through the head and block, a number of positions provide accessibility to portions of the block E which would otherwise be very difiicult to reach. In most cases, I am primarily concerned with the head bolt openings formed at the opposite side of cylinder members I5 from the side which contains the valve assembly.

My invention comprises a flushing tool which is adapted to cooperate with selected head bolt openings so as to agitate scales and sediment within pocketed spaces which would not otherwise be reached by ordinary flushing means.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the flushing tool comprises an elongated tubular body T which has a longitudinal passageway I6 extending therewithin for substantially the length of body T. Medially of the ends of tubular body T and on the external circumference thereof, is means such as cooperative threads H for securing the flushing tool within the head bolt openings I3 and substantially in liquid-tight engagement therewith. The engaging means must allow the entire flushing tool to be oscillated arcuately for reasons to be presently described. Adjacent the upper end of the tubular body T is an inlet connection which communicates with the passageway It for introducing fluid under pressure. A valve mechanism V may be positioned within the inlet opening it so as to permit the inward flow of fluid under pressure but to prevent the outward flow therefrom.

Also associated with the upper portion of the tubular body '1 and at least above the threaded area I1 is a means for rotating or oscillating the tubular body T. This means may take the form of a connecting tool (not shown) or rigidly formed flattened surfaces such as a bolt head I9 so that a Wrench may be employed in cooperation therewith to impart rotary motion to the tubular body T. An extension 20 is downwardly disposed and in fluid communication with the passageway I6, terminating in a restricted end 2|, as shown in Fig. 2. The tubular extension 20 is of reduced diameter with respect to the threaded area i! so as to pass freely through the head bolt opening I3. The extension 20 may be formed rigidly with the flushing tool or may comprise a separate tubular body which is secured to the upper portion by such means as threaded connection 22. The restricted end H of the tubular extension 29 has at least one orificial opening 23 which is formed angularly through the lower restricted portion 2i so as to be directed downwardly and I prefer to provide other downwardly disposed orifices or ports 23 which, because of their unsymmetrical formation about the end of extension 20, will cause a flow of pressurized fluid therethrough in a direction generally outwardly and downwardly within an angular segment such as a semi-circle as indicated by the pattern shown in the cross sectional view of Fig. 4. In addition, I may provide a vertical opening 230. at the tip of the lower extension. In all events, my arrangement of orifices or ports 23 is such as to exclude an arcuate area in the vicinity of the flushing tool from the influence of the pressurized fluid. The reason for this is to prevent setting up eddy currents which will merely circulate the sediment and scales within a pocketed area of the engine without actually removing such material into the main stream of flushing fluid.

Since the user of my flushing tool will soon recognize the arcuate positioning of the flushing tool which will give him maximum cleaning effect in the different bolt-hole positions, I have provided visual indicia to aid him in determining the exact location and directional positioning of the orifices or ports 23. To this end, I have provided fixed arrows or pointers 24, each in circumferential alignment with its corresponding orifice 23 so that the operator will know at all times the direction of flow of fluid being applied to the flushing tool. The visual indicia may be applied to any convenient area in the upper portion of the flushing tool but I prefer, when using the bolt-head arrangement I9, to have the arrows or pointers 24 associated with the upper surface of the said bolt-head I9.

In the use and operation of my flushing tool, I remove one of the head bolts I2 from the head bolt opening I3 and insert the flushing tool thereinto. I then screw threaded area I'I into the opening until a substantially water-tight engagement is effected. I then apply an ordinary wrench 25 to the hexagonal bolt head I9, noting the orientation of the arrows 24. I then apply a source of compressed fluid such as air under pressure through a connecting nozzle. If the valve V is an ordinary pneumatic tire valve, I may employ a regular compressed air system such as is standard equipment with garages and filling stations. While thus applying air through the nozzle 26 from a source of spray (not shown) I oscillate by means of wrench 25 the entire flushing tool T in order to direct the stream of air through the orifices 23 so as to effect maximum removal of pocketed scales and sediment. Simultaneously with the foregoing operation, I apply ordinary back-flushing with water through the entire cooling system so that there is a continual stream of water circulating through the jacket J. Once the scales and sediment are forced into the main stream of the flushing water, they will continue in the stream and be ejected from the engine.

It may thus be seen that I have devised a simple and unique instrument which can be used in conjunction with the ordinary head bolt openings of conventional automobile engines to effect a supplementary cleaning action on pocketed scales and sediment which, when used in conjunction with back-flushing, will provide a complete and thorough cleaning of the water jacket of the engine.

What I claim is:

l. A flushing tool adapted to be used in cooperation with tapped head bolt openings extending from the outside into the jacket of a water cooled automobile engine comprising, an elongated tubular body providing a longitudinal passageway extending therewithin for substantially the length or said body, means associated with the outside of said body at a medial position thereon for establishing substantially a 5 water-tight connection of said body with said head bolt opening while maintaining rotatability of the tubular body, an inlet connection at the upper end of said passageway for introducing fluid under pressure, an outlet at the lower end of said body for directing downwardly and laterally a stream of pressurized fluid, and means above said medial position for oscillating said tubular body through an are for sweeping out pocketed sediment by the directed flow of pressurized fluid through said tubular body.

2. A flushing tool adapted to be used in cooperation with tapped head bolt openings exoutside into the jacket of a water cooled automobile engine comprising, an elongated tubular body having a passageway extending from adjacent the upper end to adjacent the lower end, an external threaded area medially of said body for establishing substantially a water-tight engagement of said body with said head bolt opening while maintaining rotatability of the tubular body, an inlet connection at the upper end of said passageway for introducing fluid under pressure, an outlet at the lower end of said body for directing downwardly and laterally a stream of pressurized fluid, and means above said medial position for oscillating said tubular body through an arc to sweep out pocketed sediment by the directed flow of pressurized fluid introduced through said inlet connection.

3. A flushing tool adapted to be used in cooperation with tapped head bolt openings extending from the outside into the jacket of a water cooled automobile engine comprising, an elongated tubular body having a passageway extending from adjacent the upper end to adjacent the lower end, said body having external threads at a medial area thereof for engaging selectively a tapped head bolt opening and having a lower extension of relatively smaller diameter than that of the threaded area, turnable means such as a bolt head rigidly secured to said elongated body above the threaded area, a fluid inlet connection at the upper end of said passageway, and a restricted lower end on said body extension, said restricted lower end having therethrough oriflcial openings communicating with said passageway and disposed outwardly and downwardly in unsymmetrical arrangement about the circumference thereof whereby supplemental agitation of pocketed sediment in the water jacket of an engine may be created through the introduction of pressurized fluid into said inlet simultaneously with conventional water flushing to substantially clean said water jacket.

4. A flushing tool adapted to be used in cooperation with tapped head bolt openings extending from the outside into the jacket of a water cooled automobile engine comprising, an elongated tubular body having a passageway extending from adjacent the upper end to adjacent the lower end, said body having external means for establishing substantially a Water-tight connection between said body and said head bolt opening while maintaining a rotatability of the tubular body, an inlet connection at the upper end of said passageway for introducing fluid under pressure, valve mechanism within said inlet connection for preventing reverse flow of fluid backwardly through said inlet, an outlet at the lower end of said body for directing downwardly and laterally a stream of pressurized fluid, and turnable means above said medial position for oscillating said tubular body through an arc to sweep out pocketed sediment by the directed flow of pressurized fluid through the tubular body.

5. A flushing tool adapted to be used in cooperation with tapped head bolt openings extending from the outside into the jacket of a water cooled automobile engine, comprising an elongated tubular body having a passageway extending from adjacent the upper end to adjacent the lower end, an external threaded area medially disposed around said tubular body for establishing substantially a water-tight connection between the body and said head bolt opening while maintaining rotatability of the body, an inlet connection at the upper end of said passageway for introducing fluid under pressure, an outlet at the lower end of said body for directing downwardly and laterally a stream of pressurized fluid, and visual means above said threaded area fixedly aligned with said directing outlet whereby the circular position of said certained at all times.

6. A flushing tool adapted to be used in cooperation with tapped head bolt openings extending the jacket of a water cooled automobile engine comprising, an elongated tubular body having a passageway extending from adjacent the upper end to adjacent the lower end, a threaded area at a medial external area on said tubular body for establishing water-tight connection between said body and said head bolt opening, an inlet connection at the upper end of said passageway for introducing fluid under presoutlet can be readily as- No references cited. 

